>From: George Paul-FPG060 >To: "'declan@well.com'" >Subject: FEC Says Running Partisan Web Site Counts as Political Contributi > on >Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 10:27:16 -0500 >X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) > >>From Netsurfer Digest Volume 05, Issue 34 Sunday, October 24, 1999 >The reference may provide grist for the politech mill > >FEC Says Running Partisan Web Site Counts as Political Contribution >A bizarre ruling by the US Federal Election Comission (FEC) says that anyone >who expresses their political opinion on a Web site which runs on a computer >worth over $250 may be violating federal election law. The law requires that >people who spend over $250 donating cash or expressing their political views >must disclose their identity and register their contact information. The law >is designed to prevent fraud, which it does reasonably well, but this case >seems to lead it onto a collision course with the First Amendment. By this >logic, anyone who waxes political on a computer worth over $1000 will have >to register as a political action committee. The victim of the ruling >basically told the FEC to stick it where the sun don't shine and dared them >to prosecute him. The story also has prompted the introduction of a bill in >Congress exempting such expressions of political opinions from the reporting >requirements. > > > > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Paul C George 817-245-7126 >WiLL NIU SCM/SST Lead FPG060@email.mot.com >Fort Worth, TX >------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo@vorlon.mit.edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------